What a nasty Groundhog Day it's been here in the Northeast, but then it is winter. The winter of my discontent... or is that "The Discontent of My Winter?"
January was harder than even I had expected. My sweet tortie, the pretty kitty Preeti, succumbed to illness early in the month, and then my Uncle Danny passed away early on the 22nd. Death and winter and discontent aside, however, I'm feeling a little more stable lately, even if I have had dreams on three consecutive nights involving two ex-girlfriends. Odd dreams, neither happy nor sad, really. Some would no doubt read plenty into them; I think maybe I've just been dredging up memories by spending a lot of time going through so many old photos and updating the Gallery... of Death! It's slow-going, not least because of the nostalgia. So far, I've got everything as far back as 2003 posted and captioned, and I'm working on 2002 now.
Staying away (mostly) from social media has been good for me, I think. It's given me more time and more focus. Clearly, you lot don't miss me, and that's fine. I've run at least a mile every day in January, and last night I beat my best time running five kilometers on the treadmill (27m47s, which is no medal winner but is a sign of improvement). I've picked up the guitar again, and I'm determined to finish recording my second album this year. While I'd long intended to call it Tougher Than Flannel, and even worked that phrase into the lyrics of "Drabbard," I've recently decided to go with I Can't Possibly Give More Than I Can Give instead. It's partly a rebuke to those who insist that we should "give 110%," but mostly an acknowledgment that I've felt emotionally spent for longer than I'd care to acknowledge.
I am planning on getting together with some friends (and hopefully some family) this spring, in a warmer place than New Jersey. Definitely looking forward to that. I'm also excited about seeing Sleater-Kinney later this month. The new album, No Cities To Love, is pretty damned great, and it'll be awesome to hear "Bury Our Friends" live, as well as the older stuff I've loved since getting into the band in 2003.
There's more I could say, about Charlie Hebdo and the "Islamic" "State" and Ukraine and 'Net neutrality and Israel and Palestine and... but you're probably not really listening anyway, are you? And that's fine, too. Most likely, you go your way, and I'll go mine.
Sweet goodness this is my third attempt leaving a comment.
ReplyDeleteDid you intend to sign off this post with a Bob Dylan reference? SK's "Bury Our Friends" reminds me of that Bob Dylan song. Of course, it didn't even strike me as familiar til I saw SK live the other night.
Clearly a google search brought me here. I read your entire post though, not just the part about SK. I hope things start looking up for you soon.
I did indeed intend to close with a Dylan line, and I'm pleased that someone picked up on it. I hope you had a blast at the Sleater-Kinney show; ten days 'til I see 'em in NYC. And thanks for reading the non-SK bits, too. Heh.
ReplyDeleteThe SK show was incredible. If I were to make a Top Five list of Best Shows At First Ave, it would be at or near the top of the list.
ReplyDeleteIn one of my other comments that didn't make it live, I wrote about how quitting facebook was one of the best decisions I've made in recent years. As I think you may have found, there's time to do things you enjoy. My life has been more productive and interesting since I stopped advertising to the world every whimsical thought I had, every meal I'd eaten.
I've seen Sleater-Kinney once before, back in 2003, and that would probably have to rank in my top ten shows ever. Definitely excited about seeing them again, two nights in a row, at the end of the month.
ReplyDeleteI was spending less time making my own uninteresting posts and more time perusing everyone else's. I haven't given up social media altogether, but I'm spending much less time on it, and much more time on my own things, and yes, it's a good thing.